LS polls: Women edge out men in voting

It is marginal, but significant.Women edged out men in use of their vote with 74.15% marking presence at polling booths across the city to elect the MP on Thursday, against the male turnout at 73.57%.

Coming against the backdrop of the highest-ever poll turnout at 73.84 %, the signs are heartening with 4.53 lakh residents coming out to vote against the registered of 6.13.

Of the total of 2.81 lakh female voters, 2.08 lakh cast their votes with 2.44 lakh men coming to vote of the registered 3.32 voters.

Villages, colonies trump cities

As per the election department data, the area falling under booth numbers 1-83, comprising villages and colonies, recorded the highest voting percentage of female and male voters at 79.74% and 77.64, respectively. The overall percentage here has been recorded at 78.59%.

Of the 62,584 voters enrolled, 49,187 cast their votes. In another area falling under booths 84-185, comprising Dhanas, Sarangpur, Khudda Lahora, Khuda Jassu, Khudda Ali Sher villages, the turnout was recorded at 76.70% with as many as 56,715 votes being cast of the 73,945.Voting in posh Sectors like 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 also remained over 70%

The lowest voter turnout was witnessed in the booths from 242-479, comprising Southern Sectors such as 44, 45, 46, 48, and 49. The area has the highest number of registered voters at 90,203 out of which only 61,737 voted. In all the colonies, the voting percentage remained over 70%.

Duplicate votes were not removed

The voting percentage would have crossed 75% mark had the election department removed the names of duplicate voters from the list. The UT election department had discovered over 10,000 duplicate voters enrolled at more than one polling station across the city, after it had put the data through a software check. Under Sections 17 and 18 of the Representation of People Act, 1950, a person cannot be enrolled as a voter at more than one place.